Federer, Cilic Eye Rankings Milestones

In addition to fighting for tennis’ ultimate prize in Sunday’s Wimbledon final, both Roger Federer and Marin Cilic will be playing for important rankings milestones.

Federer will, for the first time in almost 11 months, reclaim a place within the Top 3 of the Emirates ATP Rankings if he wins a record eighth title at SW19. But, more importantly, he will greatly boost his chances of returning to World No. 1 later this year after a remarkable comeback season. The Swiss slipped from No. 3 to No. 4 on 22 August last year and, after missing the remainder of the season after last year's Wimbledon, slipped to as low as No. 17 before winning the Australian Open in January.

Roger Federer will boost his chances of finishing the year No. 1 if he wins an eighth Wimbledon title Sunday.

Federer has remained in the Top 10 ever since, but slipped from No. 4 to No. 5 in recent months after skipping the clay-court swing to rest his 35-year-old body.

Should he win his 19th Grand Slam title Sunday, Federer will turn up the heat on Rafael Nadal in what increasingly looks like a two-man battle for the coveted year-end No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking. Federer would move to No. 3 within 920 points of Nadal and to within 1,205 points of current World No. 1 Andy Murray. (Murray appears to have only a very remote chance of finishing the year No. 1 because he has 5,460 points to defend after Wimbledon following his stunning finish to the end of the 2016 season. In contrast, Nadal will defend just 370 points and Federer has no points to defend for the rest of the season.)

Federer holds the record for most weeks (302) spent at No. 1. He last held top spot in the first week of November, 2012.

Cilic is now at a career-high No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and will crack the Top 5 for the first time if he adds a second major to the US Open crown he won in 2014. Under that scenario, Federer would remain at No. 6.

Novak Djokovic will move ahead of Stan Wawrinka when the new rankings are released Monday. If Federer is the Wimbledon champion and leaps three places to No. 3, Djokovic will be remain at 4 while passing Wawrinka, who will slip to No. 5. Cilic will remain at No. 6. If Cilic wins the final, Djokovic will move to No. 3, Wawrinka will slip to No. 4 and Cilic will be No. 5.